


A deaf woman claims NYU Langone Health robbed her of a once-in-a-lifetime experience by failing to provide a sign-language interpreter during the birth of her first child.
Aneta Brodski, formerly of Queens, said the neglect occurred “during the entire duration of her son’s birth,” leaving her with unanswered “questions about treatment of herself and her newborn baby,” according to a Manhattan Federal suit.
Brodski, 36, and her husband Chris Besecker wanted to have a home birth, but because of possible health complications revealed by the scans, ultimately wound up at NYU in November 2021.
The couple first went to Woodhull Hospital,Brooklyn, and claim they requested an ASL interpreter during her transfer to Tisch Hospital at NYU Langone in an ambulance, but none were assigned, the suit says.
Things went from bad to worse once she went into labor.
“Without the benefit of a qualified interpreter, Brodski had little to no knowledge of the labor process, treatment, delivery and care of herself and her newborn baby,” the suit charges, adding, Besecker “was there to experience the birth of his first child, not to serve as an interpreter for his wife.”
The missteps denied the dad the chance to “rejoice in the birth of his first child,” the suit reads.
The disability discrimination suit seeks unspecified damages.
Brodski, who was born in Israel and bred in Queens, was the focus of “Deaf Jam,” a 2011 documentary that centers on a deaf teenager living in Queens “who becomes immersed in the dynamic and three-dimensional form of American Sign Language poetry.”
The suit also names NYU’s Tisch Hospital, and Carnegie Imaging for Women on Madison Avenue, where she was treated for prenatal care prior to the delivery, as defendants.
“While we are unable to comment on pending litigation, NYU Langone provides comprehensive interpreter services to patients of all backgrounds, including those who are deaf or have hearing difficulties,” said spokesman Steve Rita, who did not address the Brodski claim.